Do you Yelp? A wicked cool review site.

by Jay Thompson on May 9, 2009 · 21 comments
Written by: Jay Thompson

in Blogging / Social Networking

This is just what I need, another addictive web site.

Yelp is a great place to get user reviews on all sorts of things. Usually when you talk about user reviews, two things come to mind – restaurants and Amazon.com books.

Love Amazon’s user reviews. They are a great way to find new authors.

And I like to eat out, so reading other people’s thoughts is always a good way to get the feel for a place.

But Yelp is more, much more than just restaurant reviews.

It is also a social network. You can “friend” people, compliment them, add photos, send messages, ask and answer questions, and more.

The cool thing about Yelp though is it is much more than just people ranting and raving about restaurants. Virtually any business or service you can imagine has been (or can be) reviewed on Yelp. Hotels, parks, auto shops, public services, retail outlets, you name it. Heck, in theory you could even review Thompson’s Realty (which could lead to a discussion on Yelp for Business Owners, but we’ll leave that for another day).

So check out Yelp, learn about new places, write some reviews. And friend me up!


 

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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Will@Vancouver Real Estate May 9, 2009 at 5:10 pm

I don’t Yelp… yet… but I do look at Yelp reviews before, during, or after an experience. I especially like the integration Walkscore did with Yelp reviews which my IDX solutions provider has incorporated into every listing view.

I really should sign up for a Yelp account, myself. My reviews of places tend to be short and sweet tweets. However, if the world was full of leeches there’d be no content to read, right?

**Will´s last blog post..In Brief for 2009-05-08

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2 Debra Drummond @Plymouth MI Real Estate May 9, 2009 at 6:41 pm

Yes I Yelp, and you’re right, it’s wicked cool! Thanks for reminding me I should write a few more reviews ;-D

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3 Chris May 9, 2009 at 6:42 pm

I have yelped and I also rate on google, too. I’ve rated other professionals and businesses in the area.

**Chris´s last blog post..Lounging at Bonita Beach

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4 Jack Smith May 9, 2009 at 6:50 pm

Yup, I agree, Yelp is pretty darn cool. I have seen a couple of the presentations that Gabi K. does about Yelp and continue to be impressed. Glad to find another friend for reviews.

**Jack Smith´s last blog post..Facilitating Training For The Tempe Chamber

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5 JoelW May 9, 2009 at 7:21 pm

Yelp has an excellent application for the iPhone.

You can search for places to eat, etc based on your current location. You can start a phone call by clicking on the number included in the information about the place you are viewing.

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6 Colleen@Kennewick Wa Real Estate May 10, 2009 at 6:36 am

Nice recommendation Jay. Never occurred to me to add our business to Yelp.

**Colleen´s last blog post..Country Ridge Homes | Richland Washington

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7 Simon@PC Software Reviews May 10, 2009 at 6:53 am

That’s very cool, bit like wikipedia but for reviews. Always cool to have a real person’s review before you go to a new restaurant or something.

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8 Leon Belenky- Icon Miami May 10, 2009 at 10:07 pm

I agree Yelp is a fantastic tool and getting your business listed is just another key to a completed marketing puzzle-everyone should get on and add their business and do some reviews.

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9 Michael DiMella@Boston Real Estate May 11, 2009 at 9:08 am

Totally agree that Yelp is a great site, however, their automated “quality control” system seems to arbitrarily remove reviews it deems “suspicious”. Many people, including me, have had issues with them removing legitimate reviews. Hopefully they can work out the kinks, but in the meantime, Yelp is still a very useful tool to find great local businesses and it’s also becoming a great source of business for us as customers find our reviews there.

**Michael DiMella´s last blog post..What the hell happened to our Yelp reviews!?

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10 Joe@Augusta GA Homes May 11, 2009 at 11:59 am

Could not believe that there are over 9,500 listings in Yelp for my little corner of the country in Augusta, Georgia. Let my yelping begin! Thanks for this Jay. Nice to have a pleasant, non confrontational post from you! Let’s me know you didn’t get too eaten up with all the agent genius and other site stuff going on over the last week regarding NAR.

**Joe´s last blog post..April Showers, May Flowers?

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11 Halifax Real Estate May 11, 2009 at 5:48 pm

I signed up for it about a month ago because I saw it being indexed in the search engines for another brokerage in my area. I just hope that nobody gives my brokerage any bad reviews :)

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12 Bobbie McGowan-Ottawa Real Estate Expert May 11, 2009 at 9:52 pm

I really enjoy checking and leaving reviews on Yelp; it is such a great central place to go and find info and anything and everything you are interested in. I really enjoy checking out restaurants the most.

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13 Benjamin Ficker@Phoenix Real Estate May 12, 2009 at 1:04 am

I’m a huge fan of Yelp. It’s going to be my guide when I move to Phoenix in 3 weeks.

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14 Wohnen auf Zeit May 12, 2009 at 6:08 am

Hi Jay I really agreed with you! Yelp is a good one for leaving and reading reviews . I have nice experience with Yelp. One can improve their business through Yelp. Thank you for your post !

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15 Jason Humpal-Loveland Real Estate May 14, 2009 at 9:51 pm

I need to remember to write more reviews on Yelp; it is a GREAT place

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16 Margaret Safford-Metro Atlanta Real Estate May 14, 2009 at 10:27 pm

I really enjoy how Yelp is full of info, like Wikipedia, but it also allows everyone to leave reviews and personal experiences. Yelp has been great for choosing businesses for myself, so everyone needs to be listing their business there, too!

**Margaret Safford-Metro Atlanta Real Estate´s last blog post..Does the Metro Atlanta Real Estate Market Mimic the New HGTV Shows?

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17 MaryAnn Knell-Peoria Real Estate May 18, 2009 at 11:20 pm

Yelp is my go to place when looking for businesses; all businesses should take advantage and get listed-it is great!

**MaryAnn Knell-Peoria Real Estate´s last blog post..Help for Peoria’s Homeowners

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18 Dale Corbett May 20, 2009 at 8:31 am

Yelp sounds like a good idea. I’m surprised someone didn’t think of this earlier.

Frisco Homes
Frisco Real Estate

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19 Leon Belenky-Apogee Miami May 24, 2009 at 10:36 am

I really enjoy Yelp to find new businesses in my area with high reviews-it is so much better than wasting time trying to figure out who is good on my own!

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20 loans May 25, 2009 at 5:35 am

those sites like Yelp and Wikipedia will always have a high rank, cause people are in love with reviews

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21 Jason Humpal-Loveland Real Estate May 31, 2009 at 10:12 pm

I really enjoy finding new businesses to work with on Yelp; definatly need to use the reviews more.

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